Saints corner Marshon Lattimore has been traded to the Washington Commanders. Lattimore was sent to Washington along with a 5th round pick in 2025 in exchange for a 3rd, 4th, and 6th round pick in next year’s draft. Lattimore has been one of the better corners in the league ever since he went pro in 2017. Lattimore started his career off with a boom with a 5 interception season, netting him Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. That would prove to be an outlier in his career however, as Lattimore’s next few seasons were far less turnover-heavy, but still showed off his impeccable technique and understanding of the game.
Lattimore, now a 4x Pro Bowler, joins a Commander’s squad that is in need of a boost on the defensive side. To their credit the unit has been great against the pass this year, ranking 5th in YPG allowed. Their real issues have been defending the run, where they rank the 4th worst in YPG allowed in the league. Some fans may end up questioning why the team chose to prioritize corner over positions like Defensive Tackle or Linebacker. However, I have a hunch that this addition could help them in that area as well. Before the deal, Washington’s top corner was rookie Mike Sainristil. Sainristil has been solid in his first year, he’s proved to be a solid tackler and ok in coverage, though he’s had his struggles like most rookie corners do. The Michigan product has been doing all he can to hold down the CB1 slot however, he just isn’t really built to be a lockdown boundary corner. Sainristril is much more experienced and much more suited for the slot. Washington has played him there a fair amount but now will be able to keep him there far more often thanks to the reassurance that Lattimore brings.
Lattimore’s play style should also allow for the Commanders to run different looks to try and solve their run stopping woes. Loading up the box and sending odd man rushes and blitzes will be far more achievable now that Lattimore can stand across from the other teams top receiver. His man coverage ability should be a huge addition to this already exciting Commanders team. As playoffs approach, the Commanders seem closer and closer to being a part of it, and having a guy like Lattimore to help combat some of those dangerous NFC offenses will be a huge advantage, and could help them to make a deeper run in the playoffs than most expect.
